Little Esther Phillips
This article is about the Little Esther Jones. See Baby Esther Jones for the Child Wonder. Little Esther May Jones ---- Esther Phillips (December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) born '''Esther Mae Jones '''in Galveston, Texas. Esther was a versatile African-American singer who performed jazz, pop, country and soul music. At the age of 14 she won a contest in 1949 at the Barrelhouse Club owned by Johnny Otis. Otis was impressed with her performance and had her record for Modern Records and added her to his traveling revue, the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, where she was billed Little Esther. Her first hit record was "Double Crossing Blues", with the Johnny Otis Quintette and the Robins (a vocal group), released in 1950 by Savoy Records, which reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart. She made several hit records for Savoy with the Johnny Otis Orchestra, including "Mistrusting Blues" (a duet with Mel Walker) and "Cupid's Boogie", both of which also went to number 1 that year. Four more of her records made the Top 10 in the same year: "Misery" (number 9), "Deceivin' Blues" (number 4), "Wedding Boogie" (number 6), and "Far Away Blues (Xmas Blues)" (number 6). Few female artists performing in any genre had such success in their debut year. Phillips left Otis and the Savoy label at the end of 1950 and signed with Federal Records. But just as quickly as the hits had started, they stopped. She recorded more than thirty sides for Federal, but only one, "Ring-a-Ding-Doo", made the charts, reaching number 8 in 1952. Not working with Otis was part of her problem, the other part was her deepening dependence on heroin, to which she was addicted by the middle of the decade. She was arrested in 1954 for street-walking and suspicion of narotics addiction by the Los Angeles police. The police said that the 19 year old entertainer admitted to "hustling for the past few months" to keep up her dope habit and told officers she had been on heroin for about four months, taking "a jolt every four days." ot working with Otis was part of her problem; the other part was her deepening dependence on heroin, to which she was addicted by the middle of the decade. Being in the same room when Johnny Ace shot himself (accidentally) on Christmas Day, 1954, while in-between shows in Houston, presumably did not help matters. One of her biggest post-1950s triumphs was her first album for Kudu Records, From a Whisper to a Scream, in 1972. The lead track, "Home Is Where the Hatred Is", an account of drug use written by Gil Scott-Heron, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Phillips lost to Aretha Franklin, but Franklin presented the trophy to her, saying she should have won it instead. She continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, completing seven albums for Kudu and four for Mercury Records, which signed her in 1977. In 1983, she charted for the final time with "Turn Me Out", recorded for Muse, a small independent label, which reached number 85 on the R&B chart. She completed recording her final album a few months before her death; it was released by Muse in 1986. Death *Phillips died at UCLA Medical Center in Carson, California, in 1984, at the age of 48, from liver and kidney failure due to long-term drug abuse. Her funeral services were conducted by Johnny Otis. Originally buried in an unmarked pauper's grave at Lincoln Memorial Park in Compton, she was reinterred in 1985 in the Morning Light section at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, in Los Angeles. A bronze marker recognizes her career achievements and quotes a Bible passage: "In My Father's House Are Many Mansions" (John 14:2). Gallery EstherJones10.jpg EstherJones09.jpg EstherJones08.jpg EstherJones07.jpg EstherJones06.jpg EstherJones04.jpg Estherjones03.png EstherJones02.png EstherJones01.jpg Trivia *Little Esther is often mistaken for Baby Esther Lee Jones, due to them both using the same stage names "Little Esther" and "Li'l Esther". Baby Esther Lee Jones made her debut around 1923-1924, whereas Esther Phillips was born in the 1930s and didn't make her debut until the 1940s. *Esther Mae Jones later took the surname Phillips, reportedly inspired by a sign at a gas station. See Also *Little Esther Phillips at VGH ---- Category:People